10 Companies Donating the Most Through Giving Programs

With the recent annual Giving USA Foundation report revealing a decline in corporate giving last year, it’s time for Corporate America to regroup.

Of four sources of giving that were assessed – individuals, foundations, bequests and corporations – every kind of giving rose in 2013 except for corporate giving. The increase in individual giving is leading the charge to create a fourth straight year of growth in total giving, comprising 72% of all giving, and representing the largest portion and fastest growing area of giving.

So I gotta ask….Corporate America, what gives with your giving (or lack thereof)? How is it possible that in the same year that individual giving is booming, corporate giving is down nearly 2%?

Sure, volunteering has evolved into a central component of corporate employee engagement programs, and thus volunteer programs are increasingly becoming a must-have perk for employees. But giving is still critical for nonprofits and as an important way to engage employees in your overall volunteering program.

When you ask employees to give back, and support them in the process through tools like matching gifts, volunteer grants, automatic payroll deductions, and company-wide campaigns like those for disaster relief or crowdfunding, you’re empowering your staff to take a bigger role in changing the world. And you’re inviting them to step up in ways that make them feel more involved and inspired.

If you want your employees to give, you need to give, too.

Many companies know this. Despite the grim numbers from the Giving USA report, some corners of Corporate America are bucking the trend and putting their money where their mouth is.

Who are these companies, and how are they giving back? Double the Donation, an organization that helps nonprofit organizations and schools increase fundraising from corporate matching gift and employee volunteer grant programs, just made this an easy question to visualize. The company put together the helpful infographic below which illustrates the top ten companies that donated the most cash through corporate giving programs in 2013, as documented by the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

Take a look and get inspired, Corporate America. We can do better. And we must.

Double the Donation

1. Walmart Stores

Total cash donations: $311,607,280

Giving as a percentage of pre-tax profit: 1.3%

Philanthropic priorities:

**Food Security

**Environmental sustainability

**Women’s Issues

**Community Development

Corporate giving program highlight: After Walmart employees volunteer 25 hours with an organization, Walmart provides a volunteer grant of $250 to that organization. For more information about Walmart’s matching gift and volunteer grant programs click here.